"Leona..." I whispered softly looking down at the small, fragile body of my baby girl who was crying. I placed a soft kiss on her forehead.

I looked up at Gareth, standing beside me who was too happy plus shocked to say anything. His mouth slightly parted, his eyes glistening with tears fixed on our child.

"C-can I h-hold her?" He managed to whisper.

I nodded and slowly handed her to him and his fingers were literally shivering when he took her in his arms carefully, fearing he might drop her.

He let out a small, nervous chuckle, his lips curling up in a smile. A tear rolling down his cheeks.

"She is still crying..." He frowned. "Why won't she stop crying? Is something wrong?" He looked at me and I laughed at him instead.

"Did you not study biology in school?"

His face grimaced. "I hate biology."

"No wonder you know nothing." I chuckled making him scowl.

The nurse came and asked Gareth to give her the baby so she could bathe her. Gareth nodded and handed her to her.

The nurse took her away and he leaned down and lingeringly kissed my forehead. "I love you."

I smiled. "I love you too." He placed a kiss on my lips.

"I told you it would be Leona." He pulled back and smirked.

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah... whatever..."

.

.

.

"Congratulations!" Aeryn exclaimed bursting through the door with Everette and Carmel behind her and her baby boy in her arms.

"That's the tenth time you congratulated me." I rolled my eyes as she hugged me, handing her son to Everette.

We all decided to throw a small party at Gareth's home, with just the family members. Aeryn's family, us and Gareth and Everette's parents. A week after I gave birth to Leona.

"Where's Gareth?" Everette asked me and I looked around not able to spot him. "I don't know...he was here a few minutes ago..."

"Never mind...I'll find him." He walked past me to look for him.

Leona was in Maria's arms or should I say mother as she told me to call and I couldn't be anymore happier.

Everyone settled around the couch, chatting with each other while Diana served everyone some snacks. And Gareth and Eve were God knows where.

I excused myself and got up to look for them. Just as turned my back towards everyone, I almost bumped into Gareth who caught my forearm to steady me.

"Hello, Harper." He whispered softly not wanting to catch everyone's attention.

"Where were you?" I whispered shouted.

He ignored me and took my left hand in his and removed the engagement ring from my ring finger.

"What are you doing?" I asked, baffled by his actions.

"The ring looks boring, doesn't it? I think we should change it." He explained.

I slapped away his hand. "Have you gone mad? It's not any artificial ring that you can just throw it away. It's Ruby and diamond for God's sake!"

"If you want to you can keep it but wear it in some other finger." He slipped the ring in the ring finger of my right hand.

"Why?"

"Cause I am trying to propose you for marriage, honey. You are making it difficult." He complained in a peurile tone.

My jaw dropped and I let out a small chuckle. "What?"

By now Eve was there too watching us from a distance with a small smile on his face and everyone else had also become silent and watching us.

Diana walked out of the kitchen with a tray of food in her hands and Gareth said to Eve amusingly. "Brother, can you please take the tray from her before she drops it in shock?"

Diana looked at everything in confusion. "What's going on?"

Eve took the tray from her hands and went inside the kitchen to keep it and came out.

Gareth took a deep breath, holding both my hands in his. "I spent the whole last night re-reading all my Romance Novels but they failed to prepare me for this moment." He gazed intensely into my eyes.

Okay...he is serious. I guess.

"I love you, Harper. I know I told you this several times before but...it never seems enough. Thank you for coming into my life, thank you for giving birth to Leona, for loving me and for giving me a chance to love you."

Tears welled up in my eyes and to my surprise he had tears in the corner of his eyes too. He gave me a tight smile holding back his tears.

"Marry me, Harper and I promise you all the love and happiness in this world. I just need you, just you. By my side. As my wife."

He took another deep shaky breath and looked over to Eve who took a small box from his pocket and threw to Gareth who catched it effortlessly.

With my left hand in his, and the other holding the box, he went down on one knee. "Will you marry me, Harper? Please?"

With the tears flowing down my eyes, I smiled widely and nodded my head. "Yes!"

He took out the ring from the box and slid it down my ring finger and kissed my knuckles before getting up and engulfing me in a tight, warm hug. And everyone applauded.

"I love you." He whispered kissing the side of my head.

"I love you too." I whispered back cherishing the feeling of being in his arms.

"I knew it!" Carmel's explanation made us pull back. "I knew you guys will marry each other one day."

Everyone laughed at her as she jumped up and down in happiness, her face beaming with excitement.

Gareth leaned down and kissed her forehead as she congratulated us. "Thank you, best friend." And she winked at him and he winked back.

.

.

.

It was late at night and I was breastfeeding Leona on the bed when Gareth came out of the washroom and sat beside me, placing a kiss on my forehead and another on Leona's forehead.

He placed his head on my shoulder watching Leona silently. Since he was shirtless, my eyes fell on the light scar on the left side of his chest making me sigh, memories of what all happened came flooding back. I gently brushed my finger over it making him look at me.

"Gareth..." I whispered.

"Yes, honey?"

"We are going to be okay, right?"

"Yes, Harper. Why are you saying like that?"

"I don't want to lose you, Gareth or Leona."

He took my hand in his, intertwining our fingers. "You won't, honey. You won't."

"Isaiah..."

"Is far away...he can't reach us now. Besides, he is in the rehabilitation centre." He assured me.

After that incident, I had nightmares for a few weeks but Gareth was there to assure me, hold me tightly.

Though the nightmares are long gone now...there is still some fear that lingers.

"And if something like this ever happens again, please don't make such stupid plans. Ask Eve, he has better ideas, one that don't involve dying." I warned making him chuckle.

"I swear that wasn't the part of the plan... it just happened, okay?"

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever."

He placed a kiss on my neck and started placing kisses all over my neck and I gently pushed him away. "There's a child in here." I said playfully.

"That's asleep and too young to understand anything." He whispered huskily, nibbling on my ear.

I pushed him away and got up with Leona in my arms making him groan in annoyance.

Since I was done breastfeeding her and she was asleep already, I went to her nursery adjacent to the room and gently placed her in her crib and placing a kiss on her forehead came back outside.

Just as I closed the door, Gareth came from behind me and lifted me up in his arms in bridal style making me yelp.

"Got you!" He started walking back to our bedroom as I gently punched his shoulder.

"You are mine for the rest of the night." He stated huskily in my ear as he placed me down on the bed and climbed on top of me.

"No." I protested wanting to irritate him. "I am going to sleep."

"Oh, you are not." He nuzzled his nose in the crook of my neck. His fingers slowly crept inside my t shirt, rubbing circles on my waist. "I'm gonna make love to you, honey. Again and again and again."

My body seemed to react to his words as my legs clenched together and I stopped protesting when he placed his lips over mine.

"You and Leona are a blessing to me, Harper. And I love you both." He whispered against my lips and smiling I kissed him.

✨